Sabella sat up and inhaled deeply. When she did the smell of something burning, and a slight whiff of smoke filled her nose. "Where's it coming from?" she asked covering her nose with her hand to keep the smell out.

"I don't know," Malcolm replied throwing the cover back, jumping out of bed, making his way over to his bedroom door. "You stay here with Solomon and Serena. I'm going downstairs to see if everything is okay."

"We're going with you," Sabella told him getting out of bed going over to the twin's bed and picking up Serena. "Come over here and pick up Solomon."

"I want you and the twins to stay up here," Malcolm said trying to take Serena out of Sabella's arms, "the three of you will be safer if you stay up here."

"It'll be better if we go with you," Sabella told Malcolm the tone of her voice letting him know that she was going with him no matter what he thought. "If there is a fire downstairs you won't have to waste time coming back up here to get us because we'll already be with you. If everything is alright the four of us will just come back upstairs and go back to bed."

Realizing Sabella had a point, Malcolm leaned over and picked Solomon up out of bed and they all headed downstairs.

As they reached the bottom of the stairs and seeing nothing wrong in the living room, they looked in the direction of the dining room, and both saw a light stream of smoke coming from the direction of the dining room.

Malcolm passed Solomon to Sabella and made his way towards the dining room. He reached the dining room and saw that the smoke was coming from the kitchen, rushing into the kitchen he was met by a wall of smoke when he pushed the door between the two rooms open.

Covering his nose and mouth, Malcolm moved through the kitchen to the back door, he opened the door and saw that the back porch was on fire. Hoping to douse the flames with water, he pushed the screen door trying to get out and put water on the fire, but he found that he couldn't open it, there was something blocking the door.

Malcolm was about to rip the screen from the door when a shot rang out. He immediately fell to the floor. After a few seconds, he tried to stand, another shot was fired.

"Who's out there!" Malcolm shouted.

Silence.

"Who's out there!" Malcolm shouted again.

Silence.

"Malcolm!" Sabella shouted from the living room.

The panic and fear Malcolm heard in her voice made him jump up from the floor and run into the living room.

"What's wrong?" Malcolm asked when he reached her.

"Look!" Sabella replied pointing towards the front door.

Malcolm looked and saw what frightened Sabella. Smoke.

"Let's get out of here," he said taking Solomon out of Sabella's arms, putting his free arm around her shoulders.

Sabella held Serena against her body as Malcolm guided them towards front door. He opened the front door and saw only the beginnings of a fire on the front porch. He tried to open the screen door to put out the fire, so that Sabella, the twins, and he could escape, but just like the back screen door; the front wouldn't open; something was blocking it.

He passed Solomon to Sabella and was about to rip the screen from the screen door when two figures stepped out of the darkness, Mayor Jones and Sheriff Jenkins onto the porch.

The three men didn't way anything for a few moments; they just stared at each other.

"Give me the pictures and the negatives, Malcolm," Mayor Jones said breaking the silence that hung in the air between the three men.

"They're not here," Malcolm said lying hoping for time to get Sabella, the twins and himself out of their perilous situation.

"Where are they?" Mayor Jones asked.

"I'm not going to tell you that," Malcolm replied. "Not until you get us out of here and allow Sabella and the twins to leave."

"You know I can't do that, Malcolm," the Mayor said, "not until I have those pictures and the negatives in my hands."

"Then it looks like we're at an impasse," Malcolm said.

"No," Mayor Jones said holding up one of his hands.

Malcolm and Sabella watched as someone in Klan dress walked out of the darkness, up to the house and lit a torch. That was when they realized that the Mayor, and the Sheriff weren't alone. The man standing behind them walked over and handed Mayor Jones the torch.

"That hood doesn't keep me from knowing who you are Ed," Malcolm said to the man looking down at his boots. "I know it's you under there."

Caroline's father reached up and removed the hood from his head and smirked at Malcolm.

"You might as well call out the rest of your crew," Malcolm said to the Mayor. "I know who they are."

"Come on out boys," Mayor Jones told the men.

Richard Thomas and Bart Samuelson joined the other men on the porch. Malcolm looked at all the men responsible for the deaths of his friend, his friend's family and Judge Wheats' wife Sarah standing on his porch.

"It looks as if you, your guest and those babies are going to die tonight," Mayor Jones said lowering the torch close to porch.

As he lowered the torch the smell of gasoline reached Malcolm's nose.

"You wouldn't dare," Malcolm said.

"I've done it once," Mayor Jones said a sickening smile on his face. "And I'll do it again if you don't give me those pictures."

"You're going to do it anyway aren't you?" Malcolm said looking the Mayor straight in the eyes. "Whether you get the pictures or not you intend to set this house on fire with us in it."

"I'm tired of this conversation," Mayor Jones said bringing the torch to the gasoline splashed on the porch. "This is your fault Malcolm," the Mayor said. "You have no one to blame for this but yourself."

"NO!!!!!!!!!!!" Sabella screamed as the gasoline ignited and the flames stampeded across the porch and the twins started screaming in her ear.

"NO!!!!!!!!!!!" Malcolm shouted sitting straight up in bed his breathing labored and his body covered with sweat.

"Malcolm are you alright?"

Malcolm turned to see Sabella sitting beside him in bed her eyes filled with worry. He reached over and pulled her into his arms glad to find out that the things he wand went through were all part of a horrible nightmare.

"Malcolm are you alright?" Sabella asked again resting her hand against his chest and frightened at how hard his heart was beating against under her fingertips.

"I'm fine," Malcolm assured her tightening his hold on her. "I just had a horrible nightmare."

"You want to tell me about it?" Sabella asked easing out of his embrace.

"No," Malcolm replied, "I never want to think about it ever again."

"Are you sure?" Sabella asked taking her hand and gently caressing the side of Malcolm's face. "It might help you go back to sleep if you talk about it."

"I'm sure," Malcolm replied his lips pressing gently against the palm of the hand Sabella used to caress his face.

Sabella cupped his face with both her hands and slowly bought his lips towards hers placing a gentle kiss on his lips. Malcolm slowly brought his arms up and wrapped them around Sabella's waist, deepening the kiss causing her to moan against his lips. A gasp fell from Sabella's lips when Malcolm's hand slowly caressed under her breast allowing his tongue to invade her mouth causing both of them to moan.

"You have the sweetest lips I've ever tasted," Malcolm said lying down on the bed bringing Sabella with him, her body on top of his. "I could kiss you all day and never need anything else to help me to survive."

"You say the most outrageous things," Sabella said resting her head on Malcolm's chest.

"I mean it," Malcolm said pressing his manhood against her core so that she could feel his body's reaction to her. "Do you feel what you do to me?"

Sabella gasped and closed her eyes as passion welled up from her core and coursed through her body like a fire moving through a drought ravaged forest. The gasp that fell from her lips and the way her head fell back and her body arched into Malcolm's body caused his passion to rise.

"That is the sexiest thing I've ever seen in my life," Malcolm said bringing his hand up placing it behind Sabella's long enticing neck. "I've got to have a taste," he said bringing her neck close to his mouth sticking his tongue out giving it a slow, sensuous lick on the side.

Sabella moaned as a shiver moved through her body like waves on the ocean.

"I want to see you do that again," Malcolm said his voice hot and husky against Sabella's neck as he stuck his tongue out and licked her it once again.

"MALCOLM!" Sabella screamed his tongue like a branding iron against her skin.

Malcolm changed their position so that his body was now on top of Sabella's.

"Do that for me one more time," Malcolm said.

"No," Sabella replied feeling a little defiant.

"Please," Malcolm said. "I want to see you do that one more time."

"I'm not going to do it," Sabella told him.

"I think I can make you do it at least one more time," Malcolm said.

"Malcolm," Sabella said her tone warning him.

"Please baby," Malcolm said placing a light kiss on the base of Sabella's neck, "just one more time. I love the way your body reacts to my kisses."

"They won't wake up if we're both quiet," Malcolm said placing kisses on Sabella's neck as he moved up towards her lips. "You're not a screamer are you?"

"I...."

Malcolm closed off what Sabella was going to say by placing a searing kiss on her lips.

"Do you know how badly I want you?" he asked kissing her again. "Do you want me as bad as I want you, sweetness?"

"Yes," Sabella replied trying to concentrate on breathing and talking at the same time, which was difficult to do with the way her body was reacting to what Malcolm was doing to her body.

"Are you cold darlin?" Malcolm asked a hint of smugness in his voice as he rode the shiver that moved through Sabella's body when he once again kissed her on the neck.

Unable to speak Sabella shook her head no.

"If you're cold I can warm you up, sweetness," Malcolm said placing light kisses on Sabella's neck, moving down to her shoulders. As he neared the top of her breasts Sabella gasped.

"Do you like that sweetheart?" he asked his breath hot on her skin as his lips pressed against the tops of her breasts causing Sabella's body to arch towards his mouth.

"You're killing me, Malcolm," Sabella said her voice shaking as she spoke, pleading with him to put out the fire he was building inside of her.

"I don't want to kill you, sweetheart," Malcolm said kissing Sabella as his hand unbutton the first two buttons on her blouse one at a time. "I only want to please you. Am I pleasing you?" he asked moving down to the third, then the fourth button.

'What a question for him to ask,' Sabella thought to herself, her emotions torn between anger for the way he was torturing her and passion from the pleasure she was experiencing from that same torture. "We shouldn't be doing this, Malcolm," she told him. "We should..."

"Damn." All thought left Sabella's mind when she felt Malcolm's lips and hot moist tongue and light sucking pressure on her left nipple.

'When did he uncover my breasts?' she asked herself, her logical brain taking over for a split second just before she felt Malcolm's wicked tongue on the nipple of her right breast.

Sabella's body went stiff, and her hands shot up grasping the sides of Malcolm's face, and her mouth fell open in a silent scream when she felt Malcolm's teeth graze her right nipple.

'She's nipple sensitive,' Malcolm said to himself, mentally patting himself on the back, feeling sexually powerful knowing that he could draw such a passionate reaction from her with such a simple act.

"Malcolm what're you doing to me?" Sabella having never experienced the things Malcolm was doing to her body.

"I'm loving you baby," Malcolm replied tightening his hold on Sabella's body to still her, keeping her from dodging the hot kisses he was on her breasts, trying to cool some of the passion running through her veins. But what she wanted was the exact opposite of what Malcolm wanted. He wanted her burning with passion, hungry for his kisses, anxious to have him inside of her, just as anxious as he was to be inside of her. He wanted them to be of the same mind, on the same mission.

He had peeled her blouse off her body and was marveling at the beauty of her caramel colored skin. The silky, satiny, softness of it as it passed under his fingertips.

"You're so beautiful," Malcolm said his voice filled with awe and desire as he silently thanked God for bringing this beautiful woman into his life, as he leaned down and place a gentle kiss on her stomach.

"Malcolm!" Sabella said trying to keep her voice just above a whisper so that she wouldn't wake up the twins. "You're killing me."

"That isn't my intention," Malcolm told her making his way down her stomach to the place he wanted to explore the most on his fiancée's body. He was almost there when the real world came charging into their little paradise.

"Alright you two," Mabel said knocking on Malcolm's bedroom door, "breakfast is served and it's time for Serena's and Solomon's morning bottles."

At the sound of Mabel's voice and the frustrated look on Malcolm's face at her interruption Sabella had to clap her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

"I love that woman like a mother," Malcolm said, resting his head up Sabella's stomach, "but she picks the most inopportune times to make her presence known."

"You two shoulda been up before now," Mabel remarked. "It's eight o'clock, almost half the morning is gone. I know those babies are wondering why they haven't been fed yet."

"We're coming Mabel," Malcolm said again.

"You do have a ranch to run," Mabel said.

"We'll be down in a few minutes," Malcolm said for the third time.

"Shoulda called me and let me know he wouldn't be up until late," Mabel mumbled as she walked away from the bedroom door. "I could be home lying in my bed instead of trying to keep breakfast warm. From now on I'm gonna call him and find out what time he's going to get out of bed."

"I think that Mabel might be a little upset with us," Sabella said pointing out the obvious.

"I think you might be right," Malcolm said chuckling, making his way back up the bed, resting his body on top of Sabella's. "I'll apologize to her when we go downstairs to eat breakfast."

"We're going to finish this?" Malcolm asked changing their positions so that they were now lying on their sides holding Sabella in his arms.

"Yes," Sabella replied. "I want to finish this. I want you to make love to me."

Malcolm leaned down to kiss her on the lips, she stopped him by placing two fingers on his lips.

"If I let you kiss me; we'll be even later going downstairs to eat breakfast," Sabella pointed out to him. "Then we'll have to do more than apologize to Mabel to get on her good side."

Knowing that Sabella was right Malcolm gave her a peck on the nose, turned over onto his other side and got out of bed.

"I'll get myself and Solomon cleaned and dressed," he said making his way over to the crib were the twins were sleeping. "While you and Serena go to your room and take care of business. Then we'll meet in the hallway and go downstairs together."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Sabella said setting her clothes straight then going over to the crib and picking up Serena. "It's time for us ladies to prepare for our day young lady," Sabella said cradling the little girl in her arms.

Serena stretched, took her little fist and rubbed it across her face as if she was trying to wipe away the sleepiness still in her eyes.

"Are you still sleepy, sweetness?" Sabella cooed. "Well ma..., Au..., I'm sorry to wake you up but it's time for us to start our day."

Serena turned and looked up at Sabella, the look in her eyes seem to say that Sabella would pay for disturbing her sleep.

"Don't look at me like that young lady," Sabella said laughing at the baby girl. "You're not the only one who wanted to sleep in and couldn't."

"That's right," Malcolm said reaching down and picking up Solomon, who seemed to be listening to the conversation Sabella was having with his sister. "My future wife and I were about to rock boots when we were interrupted."

Malcolm's attempt at hip-hop slang caused Sabella to let out a big guffaw followed by a peal of laughter; she laughed so hard her whole body shook, and tears ran from her eyes, down her face. She was laughing so hard she had to put Serena back into her crib before she dropped her.

His question made Sabella howl with laughter causing the twins to startle and to start crying. Hearing the twins cry brought Mabel back upstairs to find out what was going on.

"/what is going on in there?" Mabel asked banging on the bedroom door. "What's wrong with Sabella?"

"Nothing is going on," Malcolm replied going over and opening the door, "and nothing is wrong with Sabella. I said something funny, and she is having a laughing fit."

"What did you say?" Mabel asked going over to the cribs where the twins were lying.

The thought of Malcolm repeating what he said to Mabel, explaining what it meant and the image of Mabel turning red and throwing him over her knee and tanning his bottom made Sabella laugh even harder.

"I don't think I'll repeat what I said," Malcolm told Mabel chuckling at the thought of how Mabel would react if he repeated what he'd said.

"We'd better get the twins downstairs," Mabel said picking up Serena, who appeared to be crying the hardest, "I'm sure they're more than ready for their morning bottle."

"I'm right behind you Mabel," Sabella said picking up Solomon and following Mabel out of Malcolm's bedroom deciding that the twins could be bathed and put on clean clothes after they'd had breakfast.

"Hey," Malcolm said stopping Sabella before she left his bedroom.

Sabella stopped, turned and looked at him.

Malcolm walked over to her, leaned down and kissed Sabella on the lips.

"I needed that to start my day off right," he said licking his lips as if he was drawing her taste into his mouth.

"Thank you," Sabella replied kissing him on the lips. "I needed that too."

(((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))

"Is everything ready?" Mayor Jones asked Sheriff Jenkins.

"Yes," Sheriff Jenkins replied his voice holding just a hint of anger. "Everything is ready."

"You can stop behaving like a spoiled brat whose been denied his favorite toy," Mayor Jones told his nephew. "The girl is going to suffer the same fate as Malcolm and those to little brats staying with him and there's nothing you can do about."

"But why?" Sheriff Jenkins asked. "There's no need for her to be killed."

"She can become a loose end," Mayor Jones said, "and I don't intend to leave any loose ends this time like I did the last time. I've lived for over twenty years with Malcolm being a threat to me. He didn't threaten me all the time just when he thought I was what he called "abusing my authority." I didn't become Mayor of this godforsaken town to make things better for the people who voted for me; I became Mayor to make things better for me. Malcolm got in the way of my plans the first time. I won't risk it happening again by allowing that girl to live because you are anxious to scratch an itch. So the girl will be dealt with the same way, and at the same time that we deal with Malcolm."